Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow

Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow
Александр Стручков · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
Name	Patriarch Alexy II
Church	Russian Orthodox Church
See	Moscow
Enthroned	10 June 1990
Ended	5 December 2008
Predecessor	Pimen I
Successor	Kirill
Ordination	1950
Consecration	1961
Birth name	Alexey Mikhailovich Ridiger
Birth date	23 February 1929
Birth place	Tallinn, Estonia
Death date	5 December 2008
Death place	Peredelkino, Moscow Oblast, Russia
Buried	Epiphany Cathedral in Elokhovo

Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow was the fifteenth Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus', serving as the primate of the Russian Orthodox Church from 1990 until his death in 2008. His patriarchate spanned the tumultuous period following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, during which he oversaw a massive religious revival and the reconstruction of thousands of churches and monasteries. He is widely credited with restoring the church's central role in Russian society and navigating complex relations with the Moscow Kremlin and other Christian denominations.

Early life and education

Alexey Mikhailovich Ridiger was born on 23 February 1929 in Tallinn, the capital of the then-independent Republic of Estonia. His family had deep roots in the Russian nobility and were devout members of the Russian Orthodox Church; his father, Mikhail Ridiger, was a priest. He began serving as an altar server at a young age at the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Tallinn. During the Second World War, his family remained in Estonia, which was occupied first by the Soviet Union and later by Nazi Germany. After the war, he studied at the Leningrad Theological Seminary and later graduated from the Leningrad Theological Academy in 1953, completing a candidate of theology degree.

Ecclesiastical career

He was ordained to the diaconate in 1950 and to the priesthood later that same year by Metropolitan Gregory (Chukov) of Leningrad. He served as rector of the Epiphany Church in Jõhvi, Estonia, and later at the Cathedral of the Transfiguration in Tallinn. In 1961, he took monastic vows and was consecrated as the Bishop of Tallinn and Estonia, a position he held for over two decades. During the Cold War, he rose through the church's administrative ranks, becoming a key figure in the Moscow Patriarchate's external relations department and serving as the Chancellor of the Moscow Patriarchate. He was elevated to Metropolitan of Leningrad and Novgorod in 1986, a prestigious see that positioned him as a likely successor to the ailing Patriarch Pimen I of Moscow.

Patriarchate and leadership

He was elected Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus' on 7 June 1990 and enthroned on 10 June in the Dormition Cathedral within the Moscow Kremlin. His election occurred just as the Soviet Union was collapsing, and he immediately began the monumental task of reviving a church that had suffered severe persecution under state atheism. His patriarchate oversaw the canonization of Tsar Nicholas II and his family, the Russian New Martyrs, and the reconstruction of the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow. He maintained a complex, often cooperative relationship with the political leadership of Boris Yeltsin and later Vladimir Putin, advocating for traditional values while generally avoiding direct political confrontation.

Relations with other churches and religions

Patriarch Alexy II worked cautiously towards improving relations with the Roman Catholic Church, though significant tensions remained over issues of proselytism in Russia and the status of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. He was a principal figure in the World Council of Churches and fostered closer ties with other Eastern Orthodox Churches, including the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. A landmark event was his 2007 signing of the Act of Canonical Communion with the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, ending an 80-year schism. He also engaged in formal dialogue with Judaism and Islam, participating in interreligious summits to promote peace in regions like the North Caucasus.

Legacy and death

Patriarch Alexy II died of heart failure on 5 December 2008 at his residence in Peredelkino, outside Moscow. His funeral was held at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour and he was buried at the Epiphany Cathedral in Elokhovo. He is remembered as a pivotal leader who guided the Russian Orthodox Church from a suppressed institution to a dominant moral and social force in post-Soviet Russia. His legacy includes the physical and spiritual restoration of thousands of parishes, the revival of monastic life at centers like the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius, and the establishment of the church as a key pillar of modern Russian identity.

Category:1929 births Category:2008 deaths Category:Patriarchs of Moscow Category:Russian metropolitans Category:People from Tallinn